One of the nicer cultural events for gamers in recent years has been the Video Games Live concert series - founded by veteran industry composers Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, and growing every year to bring a bit of the magic of video game music both to gamers and to those who might not realize that yes, video game music is much more than the bleeps and bloops of the oldest generations of consoles.

It was an honor to be able to attend this year's concert in Houston, Texas - a stellar event that included a few bonuses and extra bits, a packed-in crowd full of energy, and a few surprises here and there. Set list included the Classic Arcade arrangement, Metal Gear Solid, God of War, Metroid, Live Action Space Invaders, Harry Potter, Bioshock, Metroid, Zelda, Kingdom Hearts, Warcraft, Starcraft II (world premiere), Super Mario Bros, Guitar Hero (Sweet Emotion from Guitar Hero:Aerosmith), Halo, One Winged Angel, Castlevania, and two amazing sets by Martin Leung the Video Game Pianist (Final Fantasy and the Mario/Namco/Tetris arrangement).

A number of good photos of the event are below, as well as a few videos for you to get a better idea of what goes on. If you have a chance to see the show, do not - under any circumstances - pass it up.

The Videos:

Tommy introduces the show

Martin Leung on Piano

Live-Action Space Invaders

A better view of what Jack Wall looks like conducting

The Pictures:

This banner was in the rotation for a while - photo taken a few days before the show.